Why free transfers and running down contracts is the norm in Ugandan football
From giants SC Villa, KCCA, Vipers and URA to Wakiso Giants and the like, players have left the clubs as free agents and this has long been the norm in Ugandan football. Transfers should be a major part of the clubs’ income but that is not the case in Uganda. Just this current window, SC […] The post Why free transfers and running down contracts is the norm in Ugandan football appeared first on Kawowo Sports.
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From giants SC Villa, KCCA, Vipers and URA to Wakiso Giants and the like, players have left the clubs as free agents and this has long been the norm in Ugandan football.
Transfers should be a major part of the clubs’ income but that is not the case in Uganda.
Just this current window, SC Villa lost talismanic captain Kenneth Ssemakula, midfielder Umar Lutalo, KCCA lost league top scorer Muhammad Shaban while Vipers let highly rated attacking midfielder Bright Anukani for free.
The same case at Wakiso Giants where star players Marvin Nyanzi, Titus Ssematimba and defender Apolo Kagogwe, then Maroons also lost several players including striker Fred Amaku, captain David Ndihabwe, defenders Jacob Okao and Bayiga as well as promising midfielder Abraham Tusubira without earning any fees.
A lot of fans have blamed clubs for failure to cash in on these players citing several reasons including clubs failing to tie their players down on long contracts while others believe clubs are reluctant to negotiate contract extensions while the current ones are running.
The fans’ thinking would be the ideal but do they surely know the reality? I doubt.
Signing short term contracts
One of the reasons players end up as free agents is signing short term contracts. In Uganda, it’s a rarity that players sign more than three years.
Why? Players and agents want such short contracts because agents are always up for a slice of a transfer fee and would probably love a deal every few years.
Besides, clubs are also not about to risk giving players longer term contracts given the ‘inconsistency’ in terms of performance.
In reality, players signing long term contracts means more wages and sign on fees and every time a big team buys a plater on a high salary and the player flops, it is difficult to sell.
Football fans often still make the mistake of thinking failure to sell is purely about the transfer fee but no one buys a flop.
Stalling negotiations over selfishness
And as players are in the middle of their contracts and doing well with the club wanting to keep them by extending their contracts, they will do everything along with their agents to stall negotiations as they run down the contracts.
With the contract up, they will have a bigger bargaining power with many other suitors interested since they know the players is available on the market on Bosman.
A Ugandan player is so selfish that he doesn’t think about having his club earn from his move despite the club paying his wages for the entirety of his contracts.
Local clubs don’t buy from each other
Another reason for free transfers is because we don’t have transactions happening between the domestic clubs.
Financially stable clubs like KCCA, Vipers, URA, BUL and of recent SC Villa should be able to buy contracted players but they don’t.
In fact, if they are interested in signing a player from another club, they will advise him and his agent not to sign a contract extension, run down the current one and then get him on free without spending transfer fees on buying his contract.
A club would rather pay 100 million to a player in sign on fees as a free agent than dividing that money into buying a player contract and giving him part as bonuses for his signature.
What is a free transfer in football?
It is the act of moving a football player from one team to another without paying a transfer fee (= money that one club pays when buying a player from another club)
Also known as Bosman transfer, it also involves a professional association football club releasing a player when the player’s contract has expired or made available just before the end of the contract. The player can then go on to sign for any club offering a contract to them.
The post Why free transfers and running down contracts is the norm in Ugandan football appeared first on Kawowo Sports.
